Anti-Corruption Measures in EU Border Control
The present study, commissioned by FRONTEX, provides academic and policy perspectives, as well as empirical data on corruption and anti-corruption measures observed in border guard institutions across the 27 Member States of the European Union. more »

Corruption and Organized Crime in Europe: Illegal Partnerships
The book Corruption and Organized Crime in Europe: Illegal Partnerships (eds. Gounev, P. and Ruggiero, V.; London: Routledge, 2012) builds upon the 2009 report of the Center for the Study of Democracy Examining the Links between Corruption and Organised Crime. This is the first academic study that takes a Europe-wide approach to analyse the main historic, cultural, economic and political factors that influence the ways in which organised and white collar criminals use corruption. more »

Countering Organised Crime in Bulgaria: Study on the Legal Framework
The publication analyses and assesses the legal framework on countering organised crime and examines the problems, which arise in its practical application. On this basis, recommendations are made to improve the legislation and bring it into conformity with international standards and the existing good practices, as well as to overcome the weaknesses in the application of law which impede the detection and punishment of organised criminal activity or infringe fundamental principles of criminal procedure and the rights of the participants in it. more »

CSD Brief No 32: Reinstating the Duty-Free Trade at Bulgarian Land Borders: Potential Setback in the Fight Against Organized Crime and Corruption
Since the early 1990s the duty-free shops along Bulgaria’s land-border crossings were used as a channel for illegal import of excise goods (cigarettes, alcohol and petrol). With the increase of excise and VAT taxes in the second-half of the 1990s, the risk of alcohol and cigarettes smuggling increased rapidly. The duty-free shops gradually evolved into one of the main channels for the smuggling of cigarettes, alcohol, and fuel. At that period, duty free operators existed without a legal regulation but only with a licensing permit from the Minister of Finance. The smuggling was tacitly tolerated from the highest political level. more »